At the Dam

Finally arriving near the dam.

The Bee Man. (if u look closely, u will see the bees)
I have seen quite a few, producing their own honey for sale...

Another house right by the river.

A view from the dam.

And the waterfall and the end of the journey.

On the way to the dam

Traveling through the countryside as in the above post, I sometimes hop on the road for quicker travel. This last time, for some odd reason, I kept getting challenged to race.
As I was riding, I came along side a guy probably in his 40's, and rode with him for a few seconds, and then sped off. About a minute later he had caught up with me, and was laughing and saying something ( i obviously couldnt understand). So I determined it was a race. China Vs. USA. I took it seriously. I cranked up the high gears and left him in the dust.
BUT...

Literally a few minutes later, a second challenger...
This little girl...No Kidding!
I had passed them earlier. I had slowed for a moment, and she came hauling Arse behind me...
Again, laughing and mocking me as she and her mom and sibling zoomed by me.
BUT...lets just say that the score was 2-0 in favor of the USA.


And then these guys wanted some.






Apparently this guy was their leader.






Look at him mad dog me!
BTW...notice that the 1 Child policy isnt in effect out here.

The Rural Land

Some pics of my travels through the countryside starting just about 5 km's from Ya'an.















Watering the plants.

















Many of these tombstones dot the countryside.






Some are right next to their homes.

















One type of house on the land.








The farmers have their local market on the weekend.
This place has been packed each time I've been there.
This is one of the less crowded streets.















The babies...

will one day be dinner.










Yum, Yum...Tofu.

Gettin' some food outside of Ya'an

I took a ride to a dam outside of Ya'an, and about 12 km out I stopped at what appeared to be a small restaurant. I'm not sure if it was, but I was brought food and beer...and then everybody proceeded to watch me. It was quite fun.  And, just like the last time I was out riding through the villages outside of Ya'an, I was treated to a free lunch. Hospitality is King around here...and friendliness of course. I guess that is why I  enjoy the rural countryside and the farmers, not to mention the beautiful landscape. It makes riding a real joy. 

I found Skippy

The Skippy I am referring to is the peanut butter. Sure, this sounds odd to YOU, but to me...a Big Day! And I just found some margarine also. Yeah, that's right, I am excited about the simple things of life. Oh, the things u westerners take for granted.

Remember, I am a couple hours from the BIG city, so there are few western items. Not that I need them, cuz the food is great, but it can get repetitive, so it's nice to find a nugget like this. Hey, I found a small block of cheddar cheese a week ago and I had thought I won the lottery! Tells you how my life is out here, eh? (jk)

I must say though, that I was told about a place that served Pizza, and I thought, "naww"...but it was said that it was probably "chinese pizza", whatever that means.
So recently I took a stroll down to this particular coffee shop that served the pizza, and also had a pot of milk tea...AND I WAS AMAZED! Either I really miss western food, or it was really really good. (I believe its the latter)

Here is my pizza and milk tea




I wanted to give a glimpse into my eating habits, and some pics of all the wonderful food I indulge in at the many restaurants, but I generally forget to take my camera with me. But, to hold you over for a while, here are a few pics of my local fast food eateries that I frequent quite often.

Here's my favorite Noodle shop...




















And here is breakfast...or lunch...or maybe dinner. But it comes with an egg, so I call it my breakfast sandwich place. Someone told me the sign says its korean...but ting boo dong. A piece of ham, an egg, on lettuce with some spices served between some bread...and if u take it home, you can put some ketchup on it...yummy.











Anyhow, its Awesome!! (did you notice they are all the peace signs...bunch of old hippie offspring out here, i tink?)

If u look closely, on your far left, the delicious chicken's feet...hmm hmm, and some other assorted chicken parts ( i hope...or dont hope, not sure...havent tried it and not gonna, HA)




And my local bakery. Not real big, but good, and nice people, like everywhere. And they speak my language....CHEAP.






And for those of you worried about me not having my Big Screen t.v. This is for you.

Check this bad boy out!
Does your uni have one of these??
I take my chair and park it out in front of this baby all night, with my noodles, and have a good 'ol time.








I just wanted to throw this one in for the hell of it.

The Temple Visit

Up the hills, through the mud and in the rain, I trudge on toward the temple on the mount. All the while, not realizing my brakes barely worked...making the day, specifically the downhill more interesting than usual (but i made it in one piece).



The views from half way up the mount to the temple.

After taking a few pics of the gods, I got hit up for a donation. I did my duty, and when on to find the temple. Quite nice little temple, lots of older ladies eating(maybe the nuns), offering me some food, and yelling at me a little bit (I took a pic or two of inside the temple, which I sorta figured out I wasnt supposed to do). So after a couple times getting scolded, it dawned on me that that was the problem. So away with the camera, and bit of glancing around, and I was off.

Below is a brief look at some of the statues and relics in the temple.

Re-Education Camp!

In case u havent noticed,i have been gone (not posted) for awhile.
Sometimes, one needs to get re-educated...like when your love for the communist party dips below a reasonable threshold! Did i mention how much i love the chairman?!
The communist party is great!
So...I am back now...hoping to bring more China your way. BTW...10 pounds dropping of my body. Its like a traveling diet i'm on. So quick on the court am I.
Yes, Marcy, i would have eaten that sandwich!
So, after my re-education, i am feeling well. Starting to think aobut my winter travels...Biking through Laos...Trekking through Nepal...doing yoga and smoking bhang in India....traveling through s.e. asia...A few trips i am thinking of...
If anyone wants to travel in january through mid-feb, let me know...




My head is not so big...so...that means this is a big carrot.